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Every Damned record is different. And every one takes the band’s signature sound in a new direction. The Black Album is no exception, perhaps the band’s most ambitious of its excellent discography.

This double LP follow-up to the superb Machine Gun Etiquette (also available from DPR) is the fourth full- length release by the British punk founding-fathers. The LP originally came out in July of 1980, making this its 24th anniversary.

This sprawling multifaceted masterpiece is comprised of traditional punk rock, dark lyrical introspection, haunting sounds, and one side of hard-edged live recordings. It further explores the musical boundaries The Damned were clearly eager to avoid rather than embrace.

From the songs opener, “Waiting for the Blackout,” through “13th Floor Vendetta” (alluding to the movie The Abominable Dr. Phibes), to its side-length “Curtain Call,” The Damned prove why they are the most referential and chameleon-like of all the original punk innovators. And why they remain one of the best.